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Crowley Meratyn
, Crowley states: “I was Pritchard’s apprentice for five years” (pg 353). As Pritchard had been driven out three years prior, shortly after giving Crowley his silver oakleaf, this means we need to count back eight years to find when he was apprenticed. This lands us at 619; Rangers are fifteen when they are apprenticed. Counting back fifteen years, we get 604. C.E. - 668In , Halt notes that Crowley had died three years prior, landing at 668. C.E. (64 upon death) |death=Stopped breathing one night, old age |nationality=Araluen |aliases=William Morris |occupations=Ranger (formerly) Ranger Commandant |gender=Male |height=Short |hair=Red |eyes=Hazel |skin= |family= |pets=Cropper, Cormac |mentors=Pritchard |apprentices= }} Crowley was the former Ranger Commandant and one of Halt's oldest friends. History Crowley was one of the King's closest advisors. His job was to gather, organize, and send the information to the King after every Ranger Gathering. He had a crush on Lady Pauline for a long time, but he kept it secret because of her and Halt's love for each other. It has been said that Crowley is the best silent mover in the Corps whereas Gilan is the best unseen mover. Crowley, as Ranger Commandant, was stationed at Castle Araluen. Crowley was impressed with Will and how he has come along with his Ranger training. He, like most Rangers, delights in teasing people and was roaring with laughter when Will accidentally started singing Greybeard Halt in The Sorcerer in the North, saying he'd "never heard it before". He and Halt served together through many dangerous campaigns, and they knew each other's minds like their own. Crowley is one of the main protagonists in the spinoff series, which begins directly after the events of The Hibernarian. in the book, he is traveling around Araluen with Halt to find former Rangers that were expelled from the Corps by Morgarath. The outcast Rangers quickly elect him the leader of their group, despite his vocal complaints. When his former teacher, Pritchard, appears, Crowley wants to let him lead but Pritchard declines the offer, stating that the group chose Crowley, and to take away that authority would be unfair to the rest of the group. Crowley is later formally chosen to become Corps Commandant of the new Ranger Corps. Crowley is mentioned, but never actually appears, in book one when Halt and Will travel to the Ranger Gathering, which is cut short by the news of Kalkara sightings. In The Battle of Skandia did Crowley appear for a short moments where he gave Halt his Oakleaf back. and also when Will decides to continue his Ranger training Crowley has a slightly larger role in the fifth book, appearing over the course of several chapters. He and Halt both give Will his briefing on the work he has to do up in Norgate Fief and Crowley is shown to have an excellent sense of humor. He appears later in the book with Halt when reading a message sent by Will. He and Halt then decide to send Horace to help Will. Crowley is present at the wedding of Halt and Pauline. He has special tunics made especially for the occasion. As a wedding present to Halt he also provides ceremonial knives fashioned for him, made with sliver handles, which he tells Halt, Gilan, and Will to use for ceremonial occasions. He also dances at the wedding with Jenny. In the epilogue, Crowley and Halt award Will the silver oakleaf and plan a celebration with all of the important people in Will's life to celebrate his graduation into a full-fledged ranger. It was by chance that Will was Ranger 50. He appears in The Hibernian, one of the stories in The Lost Stories, which tells of how he and Halt came to meet. He was the Ranger of Hogarth Fief in that time. In The Wolf, another story from The Lost Stories, Crowley and Old Bob give Will a new horse which looks nearly identical to Tug and has the same name. It is revealed that Crowley had died peacefully during the night, before the events of A New Beginning. He was found with his eyes open and a quizzical smile on his face, and Halt drew comfort from that fact - Crowley's last thought may have been one of amusement. Halt then closed his eyes and left. Skills Crowley was one of the best in the Ranger's Corps at silent movement, as demonstrated in the The Sorcerer in the North, when he sneaks up behind Will. He is also presumably an expert at the double knife sword defense. In The Hibernian, Crowley says he's a good whistler, but Halt believes that it's shrilling, not whistling Description Crowley has sandy red hair, hazel eyes and, like the majority of the Rangers, is fairly small and stocky. He, like most Rangers, prefers fresh air and can be heard grumbling about having to do paperwork. Despite the large amount of responsibility being on his shoulders due to the fact he is Commandant of the Ranger Corps, he still likes a good laugh and to poke fun at Halt (being one of the few people who can safely do so). He has a good sense of humor and enjoys spying on the other Rangers from a secret hideout as they arrive to the annual Gathering. Will is one of the few Rangers to have spotted Crowley's secret hide; doing so in The Sorcerer in the North. Will comments that Crowley is losing his skills, but in a twist of irony, he had sneaked up on Will and overheard. He is known to have had quite a temper in his younger years. Pritchard, his mentor, said his temper comes from his red hair. Trivia *Like all Ranger Commandants, he was stationed at the Araluen Fief. Crowley is based at Castle Araluen and Araluen has a fief surrounding it, like other important castles. Technically, Crowley is the Ranger for Araluen Fief, but because he has many other duties, he is often assisted by retired Rangers or recently graduated apprentices for whom there is no available fief. - John Flanagan *He is John Flanagan's favorite character, due to his ability to poke fun at Halt. Strange as it may seem, I’m beginning to like Crowley more and more because he’s the only one who can successfully take the mickey out of Halt. Halt obviously has great affection for him (albeit well hidden) because he allows him to do this. I’m thinking in a future book I’d like to examine their relationship when they were both younger, and they worked together to reform the Ranger Corps. -John Flanagan *His full name is Crowley Meratyn, his last name having been revealed in The Lost Stories. *In the story of the fate of Arndor of Crewse, Arndor was a giant bandit, standing well over two meters (almost six and a half feet) tall and terrorizing the people of a small Araluen town. Finally, a Ranger arrives in this town and chains him to mill wheel, letting the town "use" him for the next five years. Crowley inadvertently reveals that he was that Ranger. *He was known to have an impish sense of humor. *He died with a smile on his face, as if he thought of something funny or interesting before he took his final breath as Halt had thought. References pl:Crowley Meratyn Category:Araluens Category:Erak's Ransom Characters Category:The Kings of Clonmel Characters Category:Males Category:Characters Category:The Icebound Land Characters Category:The Inkwell and the Dagger Characters Category:The Bridal Dance Characters Category:The Hibernian Characters Category:The Wolf Characters Category:Rangers Category:The Siege of Macindaw Characters Category:Deceased Category:Ranger Commandants Category:The Tournament at Gorlan Characters